Another N.J. cop pleads guilty to stealing cash from people during illegal stops

A fourth Paterson police officer has pleaded guilty to federal crimes for his role in a scheme among officers to steal cash from people after illegally stopping and searching their vehicles, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

Ramos, along with other Paterson police officers, routinely illegally stopped residents, both in their vehicles and on the street, and stole money and other items from them, authorities said. To cover it up, Ramos admitted to filing false police reports.

In February 2017, Ramos and officer Daniel Pent stole $10,000 from a vehicle they stopped, authorities said. They split the money between them, authorities said, and failed to mention the cash in their police report. Later that year, a video posted on Twitter showed Ramos and Jonathan Bustios searching an individual on a Paterson street corner and stealing around $1,000.

In their case against Ramos, the U.S. Attorney’s Office outlined five different times where the officer was involved in a theft of more than $1,000 from people he had stopped.

But Ramos’ misconduct was not limited to just the money-stealing scheme. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ramos “routinely used unreasonable and excessive force in his encounters with individuals in Paterson, causing them bodily harm.”

Authorities said Ramos put a “running tax” on people who ran from him, meaning they would receive extra force for attempting to evade police.

In one 2016 instance, Ramos recorded himself transporting an individual to police headquarters. The man was handcuffed and not in his seatbelt. Ramos began driving and hit the brakes, forcing the man to slam his head against the divider in the backseat of the police car, authorities said.

Authorities accused Ramos of using excessive force at least three times.

The conspiracy to violate civil rights and the deprivation of civil rights charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The false records charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Ramos is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 8.

His attorney, Miles Feinstein, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Ramos is the latest officer in the embattled Paterson police department to plead guilty to federal crimes. Officers Bustios, Matthew Torres and Frank Toledo have also pleaded guilty to depriving individuals of their civil rights and other charges. They have not yet been sentenced.

Federal authorities also charged Pent in March with conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights. He has been released on a $100,000 bond and his case is still ongoing.

A total of seven Paterson officers have been arrested by federal authorities in recent years.